The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-04-23
MARTYRS DAY.

State House.
SPRNGFIELD, ILL.,, April l5-The re.
mains Of the late President Lincoln and
Mrs, Lincoln were removed, opened anc
identified yesterday, and turned over Is
the Monument Association by the Lincoln
Guard Of Honor. On the night of Novem
Der Z, 1876, Mullin and Hughes, two Chi
cago thieves made an unsuccessful at
tempt to steal the body Of the
late President Lincoln The marble
sarcophagus, in which it was inclosed,
and which was exposed to view Of visitors
through the iron grating on the north side
OF the monument, was forced open and
the coffin was taken out, but at this point
the robbers were interfered with by GER
tain persons secreted in the monument
who had received information that the
robbery was to be attempted Since that
time the public mind has been in a state
OF uncertainty as to the real resting-place
OF the martyrs body, report having gone
out that it was not returned to the sarco.
phagus after the attempted robbery. All
the mystery that has attached TO
the matter is now cleared away. 1t
appears that the body was replaced in
AAJ odIOODudSubg anu ICuldlLtu lllGIG lOI
about week. The members of the asso-
citation, however, felt thatit was insecure,
and 1t was subsequently removed to a
place Of greater safety. Originally the
Lincoln guard of honor, which is composed
Of some of the best known and most high.
ly respected citizens of Springfield was
organized, and one Of the duties of this
association has been to sacredly guard the
body of the dead President. During the
month of November, 1878, the members of
the guard with their own hands pre-
pared vault within the monument for
the body. An excavation was made in the
earth about thirty feet south Of
the sarcophagus, and the body
was safely deposited therein and
the mouth of the excavation closed. The
atmosphere at the point where the eXca
walton was made was almost sitting, and
the work was prosecuted at different
times during the still hours Of the night
with no human eye to witness it, save
those who were assisting in the labor OF
love.
Two days after the funeral Of Mrs. Lin
coin in July, 1882, her body was taken by
the guard and laid beside her husband
The members bound themselves by the
solemnitv of an oath not to reveal what
! had been done until the proper time, anC
! that time has now arrived
Yesterday both of the bodies were taken
by the Lincoln Guard of Honor, in the
! presence of the Monument Association
and placed in new receptacle prepared
for them during the week. This recep
tacle is in the earth, near where the sar
cophagus has so long stood. 1t has on thu
bottom twelve inches of cement, and ha,
double walls of brick. The entrance t,
it, now that the bodies have been placed
in their final resting place, is cementeC
over and this will in time become as sole
as rock.
After this work had been completed
the bodies were formally turned over b,
the guard to the Monument Association
and accepted by it,
Before being finally entombed, the cofil
of Lincoln was opened and the body iden
titled The hair and beard have all fallel
off and the face is dscolored, but the con
tour is still perfect and the face is said t
strongly resemble that of TIE bronz
statue in the monument.
SPRINGFIELD, April l5.-This being tn
twenty-second anniversary of She deaf
of Abraham Lincoln, memorial exercise
under the auspices of the Lincoln Guar
of Honor were held at two o'clock thu
afternoon in the hall of the House of Rer
resentatives. After prayer by Rev. DI
McElrOy and singing by u local quartett
the opening address was delivered by tn
Ri. Rev, George Fox Seymour, Bishop o
the diocese of Springfield. Mrs. Majore
johnson gave a recitation, which was TO-
lowed by a solo entitled "The Tear" b
Mrs. Huntington Henkle. Then an ad
dress was delivered by Hon. w. H. Col
Inns, of Quincy, the theme being the lif
and character of the great emancipation
which was ably and eloquently han
died.
Hon. Clinton l.. Conk.'ng, member 0
the Lincoln Guard of Honor, rccited tn
oft-repeated story of the attempt mad
by vandals in 1876 to steal and spirit ava
the remains of Lincoln, and how the II
mains were removed TO a secret place
provide against any further attempt of tn
kind,
The duet "Abde With Me-" Ivy Mr.
utuhlt anu MI. FRANK JClGS' lllCul UCIS
a city church choir, was rendered, afte
which the benediction was pronounce
by Rev. D. S. Johnson, pastor of the Ses
ond Presbyterian Church.
The hall was crowded, the House,
honor of the event, having adjourne
over.
For some unaccountable reason, tn
work of moving the remains from wher
they have remained since 1876 and placin
them in q vault on the north side unde
five or six feet of cement and solid rocl
was sought to be kept secret This frol
the fact that for years the public had bee
led to believe they were in the marb
sarcOphagus to be seen at u
times through their iron grating
Thousands of people in this and othC
parts of the country were advised to II
contrary. This marble sarcophagus ha
been placed Immediately above the mas
of cement and rock covering the remain
This is done to convey the imprcssic
that the remains are therein.
Troubles of the National Opera Compan